MUSD ready for combined hybrid, distance learning plan

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Teachers and administrators in Menifee Union School District are spending this week in final preparations to accommodate both students who will be on campus part-time and those remaining full-time at home.

Students who have chosen to transition to the district’s hybrid learning format will be in classrooms two days a week. TK, kindergarten and sixth grade students in that group will be on campus next week, giving them a chance to adjust to schools they have not personally attended before. After spring break the week of April 5, all students who have opted for the hybrid format will be on campus part-time beginning the week of April 12.

At that time, teachers will face a challenge they have never faced before – instructing a group of socially distanced students sitting in from of them while at the same time sharing that lesson with full-time distance learning students still watching from home on laptops.

The ratio between the two groups is remarkably close. Assistant superintendent Kimberly Huesing reported to the MUSD governing board on Tuesday that with nearly all of the families having responded via email with their choices, 55 percent chose to try the hybrid format and 45 percent chose to remain in full-time distance learning.

That fairly equal split, and the fact that hybrid students will attend class in two groups on alternating days, makes it possible for desks to be spaced six feet apart in classrooms without overcrowding. Even though the CDC has reduced its recommended social distance between students from six feet to three feet, MUSD officials say they probably will keep desks six feet apart.

To maximize the learning experience for both students in the classroom and those watching online, the district has purchased additional technological equipment. Stand-alone microphones will enhance sound throughout the room that will translate into better sound online. Additional web cams will improve the visual experience for distance learners. Images projected onto a screen in the classroom will simultaneously be shared on laptop screens at home.

Students will wear masks in the classroom and will use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving the classroom. At the end of the school day, rooms will be “fogged” by electrostatic sprayers to sanitize all surfaces. Air purifying systems have been upgraded as well.

Having spent months building and refining a system designed to maximize safety and efficient learning, district officials appear committed to this format for the final nine weeks of the school year. Some districts in the Southland have plans to return all students to campus, but another change at this point would be counterproductive, said the president of the Menifee Teachers Association.

“The teachers have a burning desire to see our students in person,” Shelli Sullivan told board members this week. “We have 10 weeks left, including spring break. Please allow our plans to be fully utilized. I implore you to stick with these plans. Please don’t alter our plans. Allow us to proceed without fear of more program upheaval.”

Within the current system, students can choose to switch to the other learning option on April 26 if they believe that is best for them.